Friday, February 27, 2009

Let me first say that I am a capitalist who believes it is possible to both make a profit and give things away free. So my idealist plan is to develop this bee hive and produce it commercially then give the plans away free. If this design is as successful as I think it will be I would not want to keep the ideas and principles way from developing countries or hobbyist who could not other wise buy my commercial hive. I think I will be able to make and sell the parts and pieces of this hive to those who other wise could not build it from the plans either because they do not have the skill or they do not have the time. So in the end I hope to provide both a saleable commodity and a free set of plans that can be used to build a hive with the same specifications.

My friends have asked me why is it that I think I have designed the best hive ever when people have been keeping bees for thousands of years. Surely someone has come up with these ideas before. I suppose it is arrogant to think I have come up with something and no one else has ever thought of before. But if it is then it is. I really think I have done it. However, I am not so arrogant to think that my design will actually work in its current form.

This is why I need help. I need researchers and beekeepers who are willing to work with me in the development process. I also need help setting up a company that will offer stock to all the people who help.

My process of developing this hive started when I learned that for the most part honey bees will live and produce honey in just about any open space that will keep them dry when it rains. So I reason that any other design characteristics are purely intended for the beekeeper. As long as we keep the bees dry they should produce honey.

I have researched and read so much stuff on bees and hives that I think I will go crazy. There are so many benefits to the foundationless top bar type of hive and beekeeping that can be found though simple Internet searches that I will never have the time to list them here. There are also as many ideas on building top bar hives as there are people building them. So I will not list them here. What I will list are the issues that I think I have addressed below.

My design is a top bar hive that:1) Is stackable for moving and storage.2) Is easily moved with little or no damage to the top bar comb.3) Easy to protect from varmints such as skunks.4) Has a one bee space porch type entrance that;a) allows guard bees to ambush unwanted guests.b) is easily closed for moving.c) can easily be reduced for over wintering.d) does not allow for flying directly into the hive. This is needed to help keep unwanted guests out.5) Eliminates or allows the bees to regulate high humidity.6) Has built in temporary comb storage to allow for easier manipulation and inspection of the hive.7) Can be "supered" with standard foundation type honey supers.8) Brood chamber can be expanded easily.9) Has open or mite screened bottom that can easily be reduced for over winter.10) Is particularly suited for keeping more aggressive or "African" strains of bees.11) Allows for a more natural hive development.12) Honey can be harvested without disturbing the brood.13) Aggressive bees can be relegated to the brood chamber to allow honey harvest with NO bees flying free to harass the keeper.14) Up to 10 of these hives can easily be loaded in a US standard 8 foot pickup bed.

Other items:1) A feeder that can feed either liquid bee feed or honey or solid fondant type food.2) Rack to fit into a pickup truck to allow for greater ease in movement of hives.3) Harvesting devices that allow for greater ease and faster harvest times.4) Modifications to existing harvesting equipment to allow top bars.

Special note:I have built prototypes of these hives and they are far simpler than it would seem.

My vision is to have this hive made in injection mold process but need someone to step forward and help with that process.

About Me

At heart I am country boy raised in the back woods of Kentucky. I can remember when my grandparents got running water and a toilet in their house. It was sometime in the early 1970s. Oh the stories I could tell
January 1980 Houston Texas, after a sincere prayer I joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The prayer went something like this. "Only you God know if the things the missionaries teach are true and I believe you can tell me. Is this Your true church?" I was alone. The answer came the moment the last word left my mouth and it was so unmistakable that I can never deny it. I knew at that very moment that it was true. God had once again established a Prophet on the earth just like Moses or Noah. The heavens are open and God has once again established his kingdom on the earth.
Well enough of that back to my life story and why I started this Blog
I currently sell the best WiFi on the planet check it out www.xirrus.com
In what little time I have free I have started this project to keep bees. The Honey Bee is a wonderful creation. This blog is a way for me to document my progress and maybe encourage others to join with me